Chapter 231 - Alive or Dead (1/2)

”WHAT?!”

Hao Xuan shot up from his seat, hitting the carriage roof.

”When exactly did this happen? Where did they get captured? What is the military doing about it?”

”About 3 days ago. They were on a mission but something went wrong, and as far as I can tell, only the Red Legion is taking the matter seriously.”

Hao Xuan punched the side door, blowing it to smithereens.

”Goddamnit. How could this happen?!”

Baracus remained silent for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not telling Hao Xuan would be a good idea, but he decided to tell him anyway.

”....I'm pretty sure there are spies within the military.”

Hao Xuan who was already on the verge of exploding suddenly calmed down, which surprised even Baracus himself.

”Explain.”

”The mission they were on was a simple scouting mission. But from the data I got from their spirit bands before they were disabled, there was a whole regiment waiting for them at the designated location....”

The more Hao Xuan listened, the calmer he became for some reason. It felt like all the anger inside him was being absorbed by something else.

Large thick veins could be seen moving around his tightly clenched fists like they were alive. Every single muscle on his body was moving in a rhythm. With every heartbeat, his body trembled like never before.

Expressions of Green and Red who were sitting in the front hardened like stone.

They couldn't control their own heartbeats just now. Every other beat sent hot blood pumping through their veins. Even though they had no idea what was going on, a strange energy was forcing their Qi to circulate on its own, making them want to rip their skin off and turn back to their original appearances.

The small pool of divine blood within their body reacted to this energy, seething with every heartbeat.

*Ssssshhhhh*

Streams of mist could be seen coming off their bodies, making them look like candles that had just been put out.

Green opened the compartment door separating them from Hao Xuan, ”M-Master, please calm down. Your power is leaking out!”

Hao Xuan was sitting in the compartment with closed eyes. A minuscule cloud of black smoke hovered in front of his face.

He abruptly opened his eyes. The air itself manifested as an invisible shockwave rippled outward with him as the center.

*Whoosh*

The entire carriage that was reinforced with multiple formations shook like a boat in a storm.

”I'm good. Everything is....good,” he replied calmly, completely in contrast to the beastial energy he was giving off.

His eyes were shining like lanterns in the dark. When Green met his gaze, his heart almost stopped. Every single hair on his body stood up straight and out of pure instinct, his body recoiled in defense.

He could see that the person in front of him was the Hao Xuan he had always known, but his animal senses were telling him there was more to it.

It felt like a bloodthirsty monster was standing behind him, hiding in his very shadow, sharpening its claws, ready to strike out at a moments notice.

Green nodded absentmindedly and closed the compartment door once again.

”What's going on? Is everything okay?” Red asked curiously.

”Yeah, everything is....good,” Green repeated Hao Xuan's words. His throat was bone dry for some reason while his neck ached like he had just been strangled.

In Hao Xuan's mind palace the gate on the right that had been locked for so long finally creaked open. Zhurong who was sleeping on the podium in the middle of the palace lifted his head, staring at the door threateningly.